5 Navy Sailors Identified Following Deadly CA Helicopter Crash

SAN DIEGO, CA — The five U.S. Navy sailors who died in a helicopter crash following a flight operation off the coast of San Diego were identified Sunday. The dead ranged in age from 21 to 31 years old.

The five Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron members were identified as Lt. Bradley A. Foster, 29; Lt. Paul R. Fridley, 28; Naval Air Crewman 2nd Class James P. Buriak, 31; Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah F. Burns, 31; and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Bailey J. Tucker, 21.

The crew was flying an MH-60S helicopter, was conducting a routine flight operation from USS Abraham Lincoln when the aircraft crashed into the sea roughly 60 nautical miles off the coast of San Diego at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

After spending three days scouring the sea for the sailors, officials pivoted to a recovery operation on Saturday. Service members spent more than 170 hours of flight time and mobilized crews by air and water to find the five missing sailors before declaring them dead.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of five Sailors and those injured following the MH-60S helicopter tragedy off the coast of Southern California," Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of Navel Operations, tweeted. "We stand alongside their families, loved ones, and shipmates who grieve."

The identities of the sailors were not released by the Navy until Sunday and were withheld until their next of kin was notified.

On Tuesday, one sailor aboard the MH-60S Knighthawk was pulled from the ocean after the aircraft went down while its six-member crew engaged in routine flight operations off the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, according to USN public affairs.

The rescued sailor and two others who were hurt in the accident while aboard the San Diego-based aircraft carrier were taken ashore for medical care in stable condition. Another three personnel suffered minor injuries and remained on the ship, officials said.

A military investigation is underway into what caused the crash of the aircraft, which was assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 8 at Naval Air Station North Island. Navy officials said only that it "was operating on deck before crashing into the sea."

City News Service and Patch staffer Mark Nero contributed to this report.